Collapsible storage devices

ABSTRACT

A collapsible structure has first and second flexible loop members, each loop member defining a closed loop and having a first side and an opposing second side, each loop member adapted to assume an expanded position and a collapsed position, with the two loop members overlapping each other at a first overlapping point along the first sides of the loop members, and at a second overlapping point along the second sides of the loop members. The loop members are adapted to assume a deployed position in which one loop member is disposed at an angle with respect to the other loop member at the overlapping points, so that the structure defines a top side, four vertical sides, and a bottom side when in the loop members are in the deployed position. The structure also includes a flexible wall extending across the four vertical sides and the bottom side to define an interior space.

RELATED CASES

This is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/696,909, entitled“Collapsible Sunshields, Partitions and Shade Structures HavingOverlapping Support Loops”, filed Oct. 26, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No.6,499,498 which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/183,528,entitled “Collapsible Structures Having Overlapping Support Loops”,filed Oct. 30, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,701, which is acontinuation-in-part of Ser. No. 09/056,729, entitled “CollapsibleStructures Having Overlapping Support Loops”, filed Apr. 7, 1998, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,032,685, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No.09/004,829, entitled “Collapsible Structures Having Overlapping SupportLoops”, filed Jan. 9, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,101, which is inturn a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/717,408, entitled“Collapsible Sunshields, Partitions and Shade Structures HavingOverlapping Support Loops”, filed Sep. 20, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No.5,941,265, whose disclosures are incorporated by this reference asthough fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to collapsible structures, and inparticular, to structures supported by collapsible loop members to formstorage devices. These structures may be twisted and folded to reducethe overall size of the structure.

2. Background Art

A number of prior art shade or tent structures have been provided for awide variety of uses, such as for camping, for shade, or for play bychildren. Examples of these shade structures are illustrated in U.S.Pat. No. 3,990,463 to Norman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,892 to Norman, U.S.Pat. No. 5,038,812 to Norman, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,794 and 5,560,385both to the present inventor. Each of these shade structures also usesone or more resilient loop members to support the structure in anexpanded configuration. These shade structures may be twisted and foldedto reduce the overall size of the shade structure.

In addition to sunshields and shade structures, there are also othercollapsible structures that are provided for amusement purposes.Examples of such structures are illustrated in the present inventor'sU.S. Pat. No. 5,722,446. Each of these structures also use one or moreresilient loop members to support the structure in an expandedconfiguration. These structures may also be twisted and folded to reducethe overall size of the structure.

The wide-ranging uses for these collapsible structures can be attributedto the performance, convenience and variety that these structuresprovide. When fully expanded, these structures are stable and can beused for their intended applications without the fear of collapse. Thesestructures are easily twisted and folded into a compact configuration toallow the user to conveniently store the structures. The light-weightnature of the materials used to make these structures makes itconvenient for them to be moved from one location to another. Thesestructures also provide much variety in use and enjoyment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide collapsible objectsand structures that are different from those mentioned above, and whichoffer the user added applications for use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsiblestorage device.

The collapsible structure according to the present invention has firstand second flexible loop members, each loop member defining a closedloop and having a first side and an opposing second side, each loopmember adapted to assume an expanded position and a collapsed position,with the two loop members overlapping each other at a first overlappingpoint along the first sides of the loop members, and at a secondoverlapping point along the second sides of the loop members. The loopmembers are adapted to assume a deployed position in which one loopmember is disposed at an angle with respect to the other loop member atthe overlapping points, so that the structure defines a top side, fourvertical sides, and a bottom side when in the loop members are in thedeployed position. The structure also includes a flexible wall extendingacross the four vertical sides and the bottom side to define an interiorspace, and a handle provided adjacent at least one of the four verticalsides. The structure can also include a dividing wall provided in theinterior space to divide the interior space into two or morecompartments.

In another embodiment, the collapsible structure also includesoverlapping third and fourth loop members that have the sameconstruction as the first and second loop members. The first, second,third and fourth loop members are adapted to assume a deployed positionin which the first and second loop members are disposed at an angle withrespect to each other at the first and second overlapping points, andthe third and fourth loop members are disposed at an angle with respectto each other at third and fourth overlapping points, with theoverlapping first and second loop members positioned adjacent theoverlapping third and fourth loop members and positioned in a mannersuch that the structure defines a top side, four vertical sides, and abottom side when in the first, second, third and fourth loop members arein the deployed position. A flexible wall also extends across the fourvertical sides and the bottom side to define an interior space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible structure according to oneembodiment of the present invention illustrated in an expandedconfiguration.

FIG. 2 is an expanded cut-away view of the section labeled 2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an expanded cut-away view of the section labeled 3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an expanded cut-away view of the section labeled 4 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a modification made to thestructure of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6A–6E illustrate how the structure of FIG. 1 is collapsed andfolded to a reduced size.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a collapsible structure according toanother embodiment of the present invention illustrated in an expandedconfiguration.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplatedmodes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be takenin a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustratinggeneral principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of theinvention is best defined by the appended claims.

FIGS. 1–3 illustrate a collapsible structure 20 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The structure 20 is illustrated asbeing embodied in the form of a storage device, such as a collapsiblehamper that can be used to store any desired object, such as but notlimited to laundry, toys, clothes, and garbage. The structure 20 has twooverlapping or crossing resilient loop members 22 and 24 that togetherdefine the outer boundaries of the walls of the structure 20. Referringto FIG. 1, each loop member 22 and 24 is provided as a closed resilientloop, either as a closed continuous loop or as a strip of material withboth ends held together by a retaining connector or other conventionalattachment mechanism to form a closed loop. Each loop member 22 and 24is preferably formed of flexible coilable steel having a memory,although other materials such as plastics may also be used. The loopmembers should be made of a material which is relatively strong and yetis flexible to a sufficient degree to allow it to be coiled. Thus, eachloop member 22 and 24 is capable of assuming two positions ororientations, an open or expanded position such as shown in FIG. 1, or afolded position in which the loop member is collapsed into a size whichis much smaller than its open position (see FIG. 6E). Each loop member22 and 24 can be substantially equal in size and symmetrically disposed,but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that theresilient loop members 22 and 24 may assume any variety of shapes andsizes, including but not limited to circular, polygonal or oval. Bothloop members 22 and 24 can even be provided in different sizes.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the two loop members 22 and 24 overlap orcross-over each other at overlapping points 26 and 28. In onenon-limiting embodiment, the left side 30 of the first loop member 22 isinterior to the left side 34 of the second loop member 24, and the rightside 32 of the first loop member 22 is interior to the right side 36 ofthe second loop member 24, so that the first loop member 22 iscompletely contained within the second loop member 24. The overlappingpoint 28 is defined by the intersection or crossing of the left sides 30and 34 of loop members 22 and 24, respectively, and the overlappingpoint 26 is defined by the intersection or crossing of the right sides32 and 36 of loop members 22 and 24, respectively. The overlappingpoints 26 and 28 can be positioned anywhere along the left and rightsides 30, 32, 34, 36 of the loop members 22, 24, although they are shownas being positioned at about the center of the left and right sides 30,32, 34, 36 in the structure 20 in FIG. 1. The two overlapping loopmembers 22 and 24 are pivotable about their overlapping points 26 and 28between two positions, a first open position (see FIG. 1) in which bothloop members 22 and 24 are disposed at an angle with respect to eachother, and a second folded position (see FIG. 6A) in which the loopmembers 22 and 24 are folded towards each other (such as in thedirection of arrows 38 and 40 in FIG. 1) to overlie each other ingenerally the same plane. When in the first open position, the bottomsides 42 and 44 of the loop members 22 and 24, respectively, are adaptedto rest on a surface to form a supporting base for the structure 20. Incontrast, when in the second folded position, the bottom sides 42 and 44(and the top sides 43 and 45) of the loop members 22 and 24,respectively, are urged against each other.

Each loop member 22 and 24 is retained in a separate loop retainingsleeve that extends around the entire loop member. Referring to FIGS. 2and 3, first and second loop retaining sleeves 46 and 48 are providedfor the loop members 22 and 24, respectively, and are stitched to afabric wall 52, which is described in greater detail hereinbelow. Eachsleeve 46, 48 may be formed by folding a piece of fabric and applying astitching 51. The structure of the sleeves 46 and 48 at the overlappingpoints 26 and 28 can be provided in one of several ways. In oneembodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the first sleeve 46 is closed at thelocation of the overlapping point 26, while the second sleeve 48 isslightly exposed (see designation “E” in FIG. 3) at the overlappingpoint 26 so that the loop member 24 is exposed thereat. Alternatively, asmall portion of the sleeves 46, 48 may be interrupted or disconnectedadjacent the overlapping points 26 and 28 so as to expose the loopmembers 22 and 24 at these overlapping points 26 and 28. According toyet another alternative, the sleeves 46 and 48 can be connected to eachother to form a “+” or cross-shaped sleeve portion at the overlappingpoints 26 and 28. According to a further alternative, the respectivesleeves 46, 48 can be provided as completely closed sleeves that rununinterrupted throughout the closed loop of the loop members 22 and 24.

Thus, in each alternative, the loop members 22 and 24 are not connectedor attached at the overlapping points 26 and 28 so as to allow the loopmembers 22 and 24 to pivot about these points. In addition, in eachalternative, the loop members 22 and 24 pivot about the overlappingpoints 26 and 28 in the two directions illustrated by arrows 38 and 40in FIG. 1, with the overlapping points 26 and 28 together acting ashinge mechanisms when the loop members 22 and 24 are simultaneouslypivoted about these points 26 and 28.

The loop members 22, 24 may be merely retained within the respectiveretaining sleeves 46, 48 without being connected thereto. Alternatively,the retaining sleeves 46, 48 may be mechanically fastened, stitched,fused, or glued to the respective loop members 22, 24 to retain them inposition.

The structure 20 has five fabric walls 50, 52, 54, 56 and 58 that aresupported by the loop members 22, 24, when the structure 20 is in theopen position, to form an enclosed space. The walls 50, 52, 54, 56 formthe four vertical sides of the structure 20, with the wall 58 formingthe floor or bottom wall. The walls 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 define aninterior storage space for the structure 20. The top of the structure 20can be devoid of fabric (or provided with a small fabric border) todefine at least one opening 60 through which objects can be introducedinto the interior of the structure 20. The first and second sleeves 46,48 are attached directly, such as by stitching or sewing, to thesurfaces of the fabric walls 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 in a manner such thatthe sleeves 46, 48 define two of the sides for each of the fabric walls50, 54 and 58. In particular, the vertical wall 50 has a first side (thetop side 43) that is defined by a side of the sleeve 46 and its loopmember 22, and a second side (the bottom side 44), opposite to the firstside, that is defined by a side of the sleeve 48 and its loop member 24.Similarly, the vertical wall 54 has a first side (the top side 45) thatis defined by a side of the sleeve 48 and its loop member 24, and asecond side (the bottom side 42), opposite to the first side, that isdefined by a side of the sleeve 46 and its loop member 22. Similarly,the bottom wall 58 has a first side that is defined by a side of thesleeve 48 and its loop member 24, and a second side, opposite to thefirst side, that is defined by a side of the sleeve 46 and its loopmember 22. In addition, the sleeves 46, 48 are attached (such as bystitching) to the surface of the fabric walls 52 and 56, where theoverlapping points 26 and 28 are provided.

When the structure 20 is in its fully deployed configuration shown inFIG. 1, the fabric walls 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 define the limits to whichthe two loop members 22, 24 can be pivoted away from each other (i.e.,pivoted away in directions that are opposite to the directions of arrows38, 40).

The fabric walls 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 are preferably made from strong,lightweight materials and may include woven fabrics, sheet fabrics oreven films. For example, the fabric shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated asbeing a meshed material. The fabric should be water-resistant anddurable to withstand the wear and tear associated with rough treatmentby children.

A dividing wall 70 is provided in the interior space of the structure20. The dividing wall 70 can be a piece of fabric material havingopposing sides that are stitched to the fabric walls 52 and 56, todivide the interior space into two smaller compartments or spaces.Although FIG. 1 illustrates the provision of one dividing wall 70, anynumber (e.g., two or more) of dividing walls 70 can be provided todivide the interior space into more than two separate compartments. Forexample, FIG. 5 illustrates a structure 20 a that can have the sameconstruction as the structure 20 in FIG. 1, except that two dividingwalls 70 a and 70 b are provided to define three separate spaces 92, 94and 96.

Alternatively, the dividing wall 70 can be provided in the form of acollapsible panel having an outer boundary defined by a loop member 72that can be the same as the loop members 22, 24. Referring to FIGS. 1and 4, a peripheral loop retaining sleeve 74 is provided along andtraverses the peripheral edges of the dividing wall 70, and a continuousloop member 72 is retained or held within the sleeve 74 such that theloop member 72 extends completely around the peripheral edges. A fabricor other sheet material 76 extends across the interior space defined bythe sleeve 74, and is held taut by the loop member 72 when the dividingwall 70 is in its opened position as shown in FIG. 1. The fabric orsheet material 76 can be the same as the fabric material used for any ofthe walls 50, 52, 54, 56, 58.

A pair of loops or straps 80 and 82 can be attached to the top sides 45and 43, respectively, to function as handles that can be used by theuser to lift and carry the structure 20 when the structure 20 is in theopened or expanded position as shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 1 and 6A through 6E describe the various steps for folding andcollapsing the structure 20 of FIG. 1 for storage. The first stepconsists of urging or folding the two loop members 22 and 24 towardseach other (as shown by arrows 38 and 40 in FIG. 1) about the hingingmechanism of the overlapping points 26, 28. The fabric walls 50, 52, 54,56, 58 and the dividing wall 70 collapse onto each other as the loopmembers 22 and 24 are urged against each other, as shown in FIG. 6A. Inthe embodiment where the dividing wall 70 is made up of a panel that hasits own loop member 72, the panel will be collapsed between the two loopmembers 22, 24, and can be folded together with the folding of the loopmembers 22, 24 described below. When the two loop members 22 and 24 areurged together, the next step, shown in FIG. 6B, is to twist and foldthe combined structure 20 to initially collapse the loop members andfabric into a smaller diameter. This can be followed by folding in theopposite side of the combined structure 20 upon the previous fold tofurther collapse the combined loop members (see FIG. 6C). As shown inFIG. 6D, the folding and collapsing is continued so that the size of thestructure 20 is a fraction of the diameter of the initial structure.FIG. 6E shows the loop members 22, 24 and fabric walls 50, 52, 54, 56,58 collapsed on each other to provide for a small essentially compactconfiguration having a plurality of concentric closed loop rings andlayers of fabric so that the collapsed structure has a size which is afraction of the original size of the structure 20.

To deploy the structure 20 back to the expanded, fully deployedposition, the loop members 22 and 24 are unfolded. The resiliency andspring force of the loop members 22, 24 (and 72) will cause the loopmembers 22, 24 (and 72) to spring open to the expanded configuration.The loop members 22, 24 can then be pivoted about their hingedoverlapping points 26, 28 to deploy the structure 20 in its originalexpanded configuration. When the loop members 22, 24 are fully deployed,the fabric walls 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 (and 76) will assume theirrespective positions with respect to the supporting loop members 22, 24(and 72).

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment 120 of the present invention,where the structure 20 in FIG. 1 can be modified to incorporate anotherpair of overlapping loop members 122 and 124. In FIG. 7, the structure120 has a first pair of overlapping loop members 22 b and 24 b that canhave the same construction as the loop members 22 and 24 describedabove, to define the same overlapping points 26 b and 28 b as theoverlapping points 26 and 28 described above. In addition, the structure120 has a second pair of overlapping loop members 122 and 124 that canhave the same construction as the loop members 22 and 24 describedabove, to define the same overlapping points 126 and 128 as theoverlapping points 26 and 28 described above. In the structure 120, thetop side 45 b of the loop member 24 b can be attached to the top side143 of the loop member 122, and the bottom side 42 b of the loop member22 b can be attached to the bottom side 144 of the loop member 124.These attachments can be accomplished, for example, by stitching therespective loop retaining sleeves for the loop members 24 b and 122, andthe respective loop retaining sleeves for the loop members 22 b and 124.

The structure 120 also has five fabric walls 50 b, 52 b, 54 b, 56 b and58 b (which can be the same as the fabric walls 50, 52, 54, 56, 58) thatare supported by the loop members 22 b, 24 b, 122, 124 when thestructure 120 is in the open position, to form an enclosed space. Thewalls 50 b, 52 b, 54 b, 56 b form the four vertical sides of thestructure 120, with the wall 58 b forming the floor or bottom wall. Thewalls 50 b, 52 b, 54 b, 56 b, 58 b also define an interior storage spacefor the structure 120. When the structure 120 is in its fully deployedconfiguration shown in FIG. 7, the fabric walls 50 b, 52 b, 54 b, 56 b,58 b define the limits to which the four loop members 22 b, 24 b, 122,124 can be pivoted away from each other.

A dividing wall 70 b can also be provided in the interior space of thestructure 120. The dividing wall 70 b can be a piece of fabric materialhaving opposing sides that are stitched to the fabric walls 52 b and 56b, to divide the interior space into two smaller compartments or spaces.Alternatively, the dividing wall 70 b can be provided in the form of acollapsible panel having an outer boundary defined by a loop member, asdescribed above. A pair of loops or straps 80 b and 82 b can be attachedto the top sides of the loop members 124 and 22 b, respectively, tofunction as handles that can be used by the user to lift and carry thestructure 120 when the structure 120 is in the expanded position asshown in FIG. 7.

The additional set of overlapping loop members 122, 124 allows thestructure 70 b to be configured in an elongated manner (i.e., having agreater length), and also provides additional stability of the structure120 when the structure is deployed in the fully deployed configurationshown in FIG. 7.

While the description above refers to particular embodiments of thepresent invention, it will be understood that many modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claimsare intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the truescope and spirit of the present invention.

1. A collapsible structure, comprising: first and second flexible loopmembers, each loop member defining a closed loop and having a first sideand an opposing second side, each loop member adapted to assume anexpanded position and a collapsed position, with the two loop membersoverlapping each other at a first overlapping point along the firstsides of the loop members, and at a second overlapping point along thesecond sides of the loop members; wherein the loop members are adaptedto assume a deployed position in which one loop member is disposed at anangle with respect to the other loop member at the overlapping points,so that the structure defines a top side, four vertical sides, and abottom side when the loop members are in the deployed position; aflexible wall extending across the four vertical sides and the bottomside to define an interior space; a dividing wall extending across theinternal cross-section of the interior space to divide the interiorspace into two or more compartments; wherein the top side is devoid offabric material and has an opening; and wherein the dividing wallcomprises a panel having an outer periphery, and a collapsible loopmember that defines the outer periphery of the panel.
 2. The structureof claim 1, further including a handle provided adjacent at least one ofthe four vertical sides.
 3. The structure of claim 1, wherein thedividing wall is attached to the wall of two of the vertical sides. 4.The structure of claim 1, further including first and second loopretaining sleeves for retaining the first and second loop members,respectively.
 5. A collapsible structure, comprising: first and secondflexible loop members, each loop member defining a closed loop andhaving a first side and an opposing second side, each loop memberadapted to assume an expanded position and a collapsed position, withthe first and second loop members overlapping each other at a firstoverlapping point along the first sides of the first and second loopmembers, and at a second overlapping point along the second sides of thefirst and second loop members; third and fourth flexible loop members,each of the third and fourth loop members defining a closed loop andhaving a first side and an opposing second side, each of the third andfourth loop members adapted to assume an expanded position and acollapsed position, with the third and fourth loop members overlappingeach other at a third overlapping point along the first sides of thethird and fourth loop members, and at a fourth overlapping point alongthe second sides of the third and fourth loop members; wherein thefirst, second, third and fourth loop members are adapted to assume adeployed position in which the first and second loop members aredisposed at an angle with respect to each other at the first and secondoverlapping points, and the third and fourth loop members are disposedat an angle with respect to each other at the third and fourthoverlapping points, with the overlapping first and second loop memberspositioned adjacent the overlapping third and fourth loop members andpositioned in a manner such that the structure defines a top side, fourvertical sides, and a bottom side when the first, second, third andfourth loop members are in the deployed position; and a flexible wallextending across the four vertical sides and the bottom side to definean interior space.
 6. The structure of claim 5, further including ahandle provided adjacent at least one of the four vertical sides.
 7. Thestructure of claim 5, wherein the top side has an opening.
 8. Thestructure of claim 7, wherein the top side is devoid of fabric material.9. The structure of claim 5, further including a dividing wall providedin the interior space to divide the interior space into two or morecompartments.
 10. The structure of claim 5, wherein the first side ofthe first loop member is coupled to the first side of the fourth loopmember, and the second side of the second loop member is coupled to thesecond side of the third loop member.